Mumbai. Mike Hodges, the British director of films like ‘Flash Gordon’ and ‘Crupier’, has passed away. He was 90 years old. According to the report of ‘People’ magazine, ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’ producer Mike Caplan confirmed his death to NBC News.

According to Caplan, Hodges died of heart failure at his home in Dorset, England. Hodges has had a long career, working since the 1950s. Before breaking into films, he spent two years in compulsory national service on a Royal Navy minesweeper, which he credits as the inspiration for his first film, ‘Get Carter’.

In a letter published by The Guardian in May, he said: “For two years I was a victim of dire poverty and want. I went into the navy as a new chartered accountant and came out an angry fanatic.”

He further said, ‘Twenty years later, when I was asked to make a film based on Ted Lewis’s great book, I recognized that world and added my own experiences to it.’ His second film ‘Pulp’ came in 1971, a year after the release of ‘Get Carter’. Then in the 1980s, Hodges’ directorial talent came to prominence with ‘Flash Gordon’.